Joe Holder

The rapper caught up with GQ wellness columnist Joe Holder about taking meetings at the gym, learning to love burpees, and the why waking up in a hospital bed was the warning he needed.

GQ wellness columnist Joe Holder says you don’t need an exotic location to do a silent retreat—just a genuine commitment to slowing down and blocking out the noise.

There is a certain irony to being a health and wellness expert whose lifestyle isn’t all that healthy at times. Don’t get me wrong: I eat well and I work out, even if I don’t always love doing it. But I’m also on the road almost constantly: the past few months my work has taken me from New York to Nairobi, Paris, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Sydney, Melbourne, London, Copenhagen…and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few places. The bad news for me is that science shows that circadian rhythms—the changes that…

“Do you think I could beat a horse in a race?” It sounded like a joke whenever I asked. Almost everyone I talked to would laugh or do a double take. Then they would pause and think: Over what distance? How many horses? Where? How is this a thing? What’s wrong with you? I consider myself a bit of a health and wellness anthropologist. I’m fascinated by the cultures that spring up around self-improvement and the events that exist to push the concepts of what humans can endure. We hear about the lat…

Despite what many people might tell you, I think it’s more impressive to run a mile as fast as you can than to run a marathon just for the sake of it. Running a marathon is a feat that should always be lauded, but as distance runs continue to be popularized, I’d like to flip the script. What if we focus on going fast instead of going far? Let’s set the record straight: The marathon is NOT for everyone. Many people don’t have an interest in grinding for 26.2 miles—plain and simple. Beyond that, m…

We’ve reached the time of year where we are bombarded with messages about New Year’s resolutions. We get inspired, promise we are going to do better this year, and jump right into action—and I’m here to tell you that’s a huge mistake. There’s a reason why New Year’s resolutions are said to have a high failure rate, 80 percent, with most people falling off by the time February rolls around. You get dejected, give up, and then the cultural attitude moves on to the next holiday and the next profita…

One of my favorite scenes in Creed is when Rocky (played by Sylvester Stallone) brings Adonis Creed (played by Michael B. Jordan) in front of a mirror, asks him to throw a couple of punches, and explains to him that he—and no one else—is his toughest opponent. I love this scene as a metaphor for your own health and wellness—it starts with you, so every day, you’ve gotta look in the mirror, decide it matters, and keep up with the practice every day. To do that, you need support and tools. When I…

There are plenty of good reasons that most of us spend so much time on our phones. Screen time helps us get our work done, it keeps us in touch with our friends, and quite literally helps us navigate the world. Some research does show, especially in the youth, too little phone use can have similar negative effects as too much. I am not a Luddite. But I walk around New York City and see just about everyone absolutely immersed in their cell phones, face down, often bumping into other people—which,…

Arriving at the LeBron James building on the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Oregon, which houses the massive Nike Sports Research Lab (NSRL), I’m reminded that Nike has always been a bit of a tech company, scheming up ways to improve and push the limits of what the human body can do in sports. As an athlete, I work closely with Nike and test gear that’s a result of the tests happening at the NSRL. So, heading up to the Paris Olympics, I was invited to see how the innovation happens and test new Nike…

Why hiking four hours a day and 5 a.m. wake-ups were just what I needed..